About the Awe

The River Awe runs northwest for 4 miles from Loch Awe to enter the tidal waters of Loch Etive at Taynuilt.

In 1961 the 59ft high barrage at the Pass of Brander was completed and Loch Awe was impounded. The flow of the river is now controlled from the dam and even when heavy rain falls in the 270 square mile catchment area, spate conditions never occur.

Water drawn off to power the turbines at the Inverawe Hydro Plant re-enters the river close to it's mouth at Loch Etive. In 2012, SEPA, Scottish & Southern Energy and River Awe fishery owners agreed a revolutionary new flow regime in an effort to maximise the numbers of smolts produced by the river.

Fish enter the River Awe as early as April with the peak of the runs in May to August. Although fish are not as large as those in the past, the river still produces the occasional 30lb specimen.

A voluntary catch and release policy is operated and official figures show that anglers release 90% of their catch. In a good year over 400 fish are caught with an average weight of 10lb. A fish counter at the Barrage provides river managers with accurate data on fish moving through the river.

On the River Awe, fishing is by fly only. On the Anderson Fishings on the left bank, Beat A starts at the famous Barrage Pool, running through the Vereys down to Colonels. Beats B and C run from Red Rock down to the Oak Pool. On the right bank, the Huntington beat runs from the Barrage Pool through the Vereys down to Greenwell.

The Inverawe beat is about 1 mile long and runs from Red Bank down to Grey on the right bank and provides some spectacular scenery and privacy. The Ardchatten and Muckairn beats run from Nick’s Run down to the tidal pools on both banks and is about 3/4 mile long